British Lord to appear in Spanish court

British lawmaker Lord Glentoran and his wife were to appear in court in southern Spain on Wednesday to face possible charges of aggression against three guards at the Gibraltar border, a British Embassy spokeswoman said.

Three Spanish Civil Guards received bruises and sprains and needed hospital treatment after an argument allegedly broke out over two bottles of whisky and two cartons of cigarettes, the embassy said.

Glentoran, 70-year-old member of Britain's House of Lords, and the Conservative Party's spokesman on Northern Ireland, was arrested with Lady Glentoran on Tuesday after the border incident and they were released hours later, according to the AP.

The dispute arose when the couple were leaving Gibraltar after a day trip to the British colony, and they were stopped by Spanish Customs officials and asked to identify themselves, the embassy spokeswoman said. She did not give her name, as a matter of policy.